Archive | It’s OK If You’re A Republican

Looking back on the day before the Comey letter leaked about this insane possible new Hillary Clinton email non-scandal… I mean, Huma’s emails, …I mean, Anthony Weiner’s…er…, something seems odd. A few things happened that just don’t add up. Joan Walsh of The Nation asks a question many of us in the media have been pondering… Continue Reading →

In my communications with you and other top officials in the national security community, it has become clear that you possess explosive information about close ties and coordination between Donald Trump, his top advisors, and the Russian government – a foreign interest openly hostile to the United States, which Trump praises at every opportunity. The public has a right to know this information. I wrote to you months ago calling for this information to be released to the public. There is no danger to American interests from releasing it. And yet, you continue to resist calls to inform the public of this critical information.

By contrast, as soon as you came into possession of the slightest innuendo related to Secretary Clinton, you rushed to publicize it in the most negative light possible.

NEWARK –In January 2014, as controversy surrounding the lane closures at the George Washington Bridge was at its peak, Gov. Chris Christie distanced himself from his two-time campaign manager Bill Stepien after he said a document dump demonstrated his former confidante showed “callous indifference” for Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich. In emails, Stepien wrote disparagingly about… Continue Reading →

NEWARK, N.J. — Bridget Anne Kelly testified Monday that she told New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in September 2013 that a mayor had expressed concern that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey had closed lanes at the George Washington Bridge as part of “government retribution.” “It’s a Port Authority project. Let (David) Wildstein… Continue Reading →

Texas Governor Greg Abbott is a stoopid sumbitch. He’s whining about “rampant” voter fraud and election rigging in Texas. Open your damn eyes, Abbott. Texas Republicans own all statewide offices, the Governor’s mansion, all the Courts of Appeal, the State House and the State Senate. So, paint this on the barn in waterproof paint: If there’s… Continue Reading →

In response to the GOP email, J. Gerald Hebert, the director of the voting rights and redistricting project at the non-partisan, non-profit group, the Campaign Legal Center, sent a voter discrimination complaint to the Department of Justice on Friday calling for federal election monitors.

“Virtually every precinct in Tarrant County that is ‘Democrat-controlled’ is a majority-minority precinct,” Hebert’s complaint noted.

“The vote suppression efforts being made are cloaked in partisan rhetoric but are clearly targeted at Hispanic and African American voters in Tarrant County,” the letter said, while noting other “inflammatory” language in the email, like “..buy, steal, and cheat their way to victory…”

The Department of Justice confirmed to TPM it had received the complaint and was reviewing it, but would not comment further.

Hebert, in an email to TPM, called it a “a very serious matter,” while noting he also reached out to county officials about the GOP email.

“Intimidating voters for any reason violates federal law and we are prepared to take legal action, if necessary,” Hebert said. “The County officials running the election have primary responsibility to make sure the election is being run in conformity with all provisions of state and federal law.”

Tim O’Hare, the chair of the Tarrant County Republican Party, called the claims that the local party was encouraging racially discriminatory voting practices “hogwash.”

“It’s become the rallying cry of Democrats. Call racism at every turn, and what happens? The media will go run and write a story about it immediately,” O’Hare told TPM Wednesday.

The Tarrant County GOP’s email comes as Donald Trump has urged his supporters in stump speeches to act as vigilante poll watchers of sorts, prompting concerns that what will result is voter intimidation.

This is how insane this election has become. John McCain, in his zeal to save the Senate from evil Democrats, said that Pat Toomey needs to be re-elected so they can block Clinton Supreme Court nominees. Or maybe he didn’t, depending. Initial reports say oh, yes, he will. Speaking on behalf of Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey,… Continue Reading →

A progressive advocacy group is launching an advertising campaign accusing Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, who also is the Republican vice-presidential nominee, of allowing voter suppression after state police raided the offices of a voter registration program aimed at signing up African Americans.

Patriot Majority USA will place the ads on black-oriented radio stations and in print and online with black newspapers throughout the state starting Saturday, said the group’s director, Craig Varoga. Patriot Majority is affiliated with the Senate Majority PAC, a super PAC that supports Democratic candidates.

On Oct. 4, one week before the state’s deadline to register to vote, state police raided the Indianapolis office of the Indiana Voter Registration Project, seizing computers, cellphones and records. The state police launched an investigation in late August after elections officials in Hendricks County, a suburb of Indianapolis, alerted authorities to some applications that seemed amiss. A spokesman for the state police told local news media that “at least 10” applications were confirmed to be fraudulent.

Varoga estimates that 45,000 people, most of them African Americans, might not be able to vote on Nov. 8 if investigators put a hold on applications collected by the group during its investigation. The group has asked the Justice Department to investigate, and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, an advocate for voting rights, sent a letter to Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson asking her to take steps to ensure that eligible voters who signed up through the voter registration drive will not be disenfranchised.

The latest Wikileaks email dump, the Podesta hacked emails Part 3, have been scrutinized by opposition Republicans obsessively since they were released Monday. Alas! They believe they’ve found a fatal flaw, one that they want equate with Trump’s ‘locker room’ remarks that were revealed last week. It was revealed that two of Clinton’s current campaign staffers,… Continue Reading →